Everything was sorted. The coupe was for sale and I was going to move on. A brand new MK3 TTRS is what I was saving for. I came very close to making a deal just before Christmas and then almost bought a nearly new one more recently. A few factors pulled me back from the edge though and with Trish changing her job I really began to re evaluate spending upwards of £50k on a car.

So I had my A5 detailed and ceramic coated (£££ Don't ask) and started to think that maybe the best option would be to wait for well specified RS’s to return from their PCP contracts and save a fortune. So this was my plan but it still didn’t feature a Coupe though

Then came Turin. As I walked around the Lingotto I fondly recalled the event there. Then speaking to all the Italians, via Facebook messenger, selling the coupe kept being mentioned and I was struggling to justify it. Could I not just keep the Coupe and take it out for shows and events?

I then remembered an offer from one of the Polish fellows made last year when we met in Holland. He had just rebuilt a car for one of the Dutch fellows and he too was urging me not to sell. Over dinner and a few beers he suggested getting my Coupe over to him to refresh the underside and address any tiny niggles such as the dash plastics.

I was still resolute in my stance that I could not have a TTRS and the Coupe. So why then have I called him this week this week to discuss possible options?

Why? Cos no-one takes a second look at an Audi TTRS to be honest. Since I've had the car back on the road I've had three occasions when someone's taken a sly pic of the car and not even petrol heads recognise the unique styling of the coupe. Can't be said for the majority of cars on our roads nowadays.

when it comes to matters of the head and heart I have learned to just accept it rather than try and understand it.

Glad you've come to your senses, Bob.
That's a lovely Coupe you have there.

My wife has one of the last Mk2 TT's, an amplified black edition. This car looks very similar to a Mk2 TTRS. We have been touring Europe for a few weeks and have had no end of positive attention. People asking questions, making comments at traffic lights and taking pictures. One silly fellow even said - "R8 - Fantastic"

In the UK the TT is really common, but over here quite rare. Our car is also metallic white and it would appear that White is a very popular colour over here.

Superb Bob!

I suppose what I'm saying are the roads are stuffed full of German metal and all generally are .. um .. predictable ? Obviously I can't make comment in regards to Europe. Having said that a mate of mine with a monochromatic MG ZT 190 got similar interest when he was abroad last year. I'm not knocking German cars in the slightest mind and to be fair I don't think you can when you run a Fiat

Really, If I decide to keep that will also be another £80 to get my plate put back on!

If you have a 20VT and any fibre of your being is at all stirred by the sound of the 5 cylinder engine I urge you to go to Audi and test drive the new TTRS or the new RS3. Yes it's just another Audi TT / A3, and yes you see them everywhere. But my goodness that engine is a game changer. It is epic.

It's like a Coupé on steroids but with none of the fuss that accompanies (MOST) modified Fiat Coupé motors. Response is near instant, and power is bordering on insane. But it's not just the motor, the latest version of the DSG and 4wd complement the motor perfectly. The huge level of power and torque hit the road - no torque steer, no wheel spin just traction masses of traction.

The TTS is a very quick car, some folks say quick enough and they have a point. It's got the Golf R motor and it is a very rapid car.

The TTRS is a car punching well above it's class, a kind of Fiat Coupé 20VT for today.

Modern it may be Bob - but without the Italian flare of the Coupe- which clearly you still love.

Lives for living - at around a £50k budget- get an Audi AND keep the coupe - the ultimate man maths!

Regards

MM

Bob, if your budget is around 50k, why not get a Nissan GT-R? Or a Lotus Evora? Or a Jaguar F-Type? Cars that have performance as well as looks.

I think you've hit the nail on the head Bob. They are pumped up versions of models that you see everywhere - some being based on a family hatchback. The power isn't a major factor for me but rather the style, Pininfarina heritage and rarity. The Jag F-Type would get my vote though!

^^Mine too!
45k would get you into a V8 S with just shy of 500 ponies

You're deluded. Any petrolhead or a person with knowledge of a decent performance car, will admire a TTRS.

Take off your coupe tinted specs once in a while

Have you looked at / driven one?

Yes it looks really cool but when you get up close it's not easy to fall in love with.

Build quality is suspect. When you first sit in it everything looks fine, the air vents popping out of the dash look cool. But as you drive it around you notice a lot of squeaks and rattles. You then realise that the switchgear is all a bit fussy, far from intuitive and actually all bit cheap feeling. The touch screen is one of the worst interactive dashboards / control systems I've ever used. It's slow, worse than the old RNSE in my wife's Mk2 TT and I hate that!

Finally if you decide to take a soft top, which is what we want, there is absolutely ZERO luggage space. It also feels a bit loose, not stiff enough. The Porsche Boxter and TTRS roadster are both far better in my opinion and both SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper too. The V6 S Convertible Auto that we tested had a list price of over £68,000!

Barmybob……difficult thread….I went through the 'time for a change' zone when my coupe needed a fair bit of welding/respraying and wasn't sure it was worth the expense.

Got as far as the nearby Lotus dealership….had a go in an elise…not much to talk about, more rattles than my coupe and not any more go….then an exige…..great power (supercharged), but just not a daily and you'll need ear defenders and a new spine!!!….then an Evora…..now here I wavered….a very nice GT feel!!!….quite similar to the Coupe but with controlled pace and much better cornering….however gearbox was god awful….just couldn't part with £30k for a car with such a shocking gear change….shame I was nearly take by it….sublime handling!!

Getting back in the coupe was interesting…you realise the 20vt is quite a goer (not as immediate as a supercharged exige) but certainly not bad….cornering is never going to be near any lotus but as a drivers GT car it made me smile on the way home….(especially when it only cost £1400!!!)

The problem I still have is where would you go after a coupe….yes the cockxters and TTs and RS's are all probably much better to drive and newer but everyones got one and they all just look a bit dull especially if you get a trouser tingle from italian cars..!!!….

Interesting comment about the F-type as it does look tidy (as well as perhaps an Aston Vantage)…but still not taken by the hit and miss styling (especially the interiors)….

Anyone care to comment on what car they'd switch to? Be interesting to hear why?

I’ve driven an Orange TTRS mk3 and a Jag Ftype R and the new 2litre Jag. I’ve been driven in a Nissan GTR. TTRS does look a bit of a beast, but it’s just a TT with a different grill bigger splitter and spoilers etc. Once I was used to the power and I’d got out of the car it was all forgotten. It just feels exactly the same as my friends Golf R. Same virtual cockpit touch screen etc.

Jag R reminds me of a Ford Mustang. A proper old school V8. Interior is much better than the 2litre and the S. Better grade leather and it’s everywhere where as the S there is a lot more plastic. I liked the switch gear, it’s obviously not German which is a good thing as all VAG group is all very similar.

But both of these cars are all full of gimmicks, exhaust flaps on startup. Nothing real. Sound all faked.

The only car I would part 50k on would be a used GTR. Yes it’s full of tech. But it all does a job. Where as the others I feel it’s just not needed. I’ve been in my friends GTR loads of times it’s like the Fiat it gets under your skin. You can push and push this car round a bend and nothing bothers it at all. Plus it won’t lose any money. A 50k GTR will get you one which is 6years old. At the time when they were sold they were around 65k new. The other two will lose more than that in the first year. Let alone in 6.

After running an MGF for 5 years getting back into the coupe is a step change so I'll keep me coupe tinted specs on a bit longer!

We're not talking about an MGF are we.

Good try though

Yes we are Bezzer and it only failed me once - you having a go or what..

In an earlier post you said "The power isn't a major factor for me but rather the style"

And then you mention you drove a Rover.

I can see why you can't appreciate a TTRS

Bezzer I think you need another Coupe

Err not a Rover - twas an MG ..

Funny you should say that.......

Oh lord. Its quite simple Bob. Really.

We sorted this last time in Torino for the 20th Anniversary.

Its cause you're mad. Mad Bob says so in your car as well!

Be honest, is it worth selling? I really doubt it.

So time has gone by and I still have a Coupé in my Garage (Unused) and I still haven't bought an RS.

There are a few benefits of this time wasting though. The first is that I now have a lot more money saved. I will still need to borrow a bit but I'm now well in the sub 3% area rather than the 7%+ so I'm much happier with that. I could also now buy an RS without having to sell / trade my A5, though I do think I would let it go and buy a smaller daily driver. I've also decided that rather than take the great deal on a new car I could save even more by going for a pre-registered or year or two old PCP return and a few nice examples have shown up recently.

This week I took out an 8K mile roadster, first RS I've driven with the sports exhaust fitted. This car was nice but a bit light on spec and despite being offered a considerable discount on the list price I will wait a bit longer. But I don't think it's going to be too long.

An idea! How about I look after your coupe for a couple of years. And let's see if you really really miss it.

Then if you do I can pop it back over to you.

If you don't then everyone's happy!

I see you're warming to the idea Bob! Just think you can come and visit and drive around in the coupe.
With the real plus being Trish and yourself can stay in my luxury shed!

We will be back down in France this summer, looking like it will be September time. Hopefully with an RS, or possibly a Boxter!